According to Auto, Motor und Sport, Jack Doohan allegedly kept the DRS open as part of a strategy planned in the simulator.
It wasn’t a memorable Friday for Jack Doohan. In fact, during the first free practice session, the Australian Alpine driver had to give up his seat to local debutant Ryo Hirakawa — not ideal for a rookie making his first-F1 appearance on the challenging Suzuka circuit.
Later in the Japanese afternoon, after getting back in the car, Doohan managed just three laps before ending his day with a heavy crash at Turn 1, hitting at extremely high speed — around 331 km/h.
Fortunately, after a quick check at the medical center, the Australian driver escaped without serious injuries, apart from a slight daze — “normal” after a crash at over 300 km/h.
“What happened?” was the first question Doohan asked his race engineer after the crash — a question echoed by everyone watching after seeing the replay. During the session itself, suspicions already centered on the DRS staying open as Doohan approached Turn 1.
DRS normally closes automatically when the driver touches the brake pedal. However, Turn 1 at Suzuka is a corner where drivers don’t brake — they just lift slightly off the throttle before entering Turn 2 — so the DRS has to be deactivated manually. Doohan, however, didn’t press any button before entering Turn 1, so the DRS remained open.
On this matter, German outlet Auto, Motor und Sport revealed a shocking claim: Jack Doohan reportedly kept the DRS open on purpose in Turn 1, trying to apply a strategy studied in the simulator. As mentioned, drivers lift slightly off the throttle there without touching the brake pedal — making it theoretically possible to keep DRS active through the corner. A strategy that, if confirmed, clearly didn’t pay off.
At the end of FP2, however, Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes didn’t confirm this “strategy,” instead defending his driver: “We’re all relieved that Jack came out of that incident unharmed. It was a misjudgment not to close the DRS before entering Turn 1. We’ll learn from this. I know Jack and the team will be ready again tomorrow.”
Photo: F1, Jack Doohan, Alpine F1 Team.
